Heaven and its wonders, the world of spirits, and hell: from things heard and seen

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Contents

Preface, by the Rev. T. Hartley ,i. to xxxvi.

INTRODUCTION' 2

OF HEAVEN.

Preface

BY

The Rev. THOMAS HARTLEY, A.M.,

Late Sector of Winwick, in NbrthamptoruTm'e,

Besides the more general provisions made by the Father of hghts for the instruction of His church and people in divine things, under the public dispensations of the law and the gospel, He has also been graciously pleased at sundry times and in divers manners, as occasions and the needs of the church might require it, to make extraordinary discoveries and revelations to particular persons, either for more private or public use, to answer various ends of His wisdom and goodness : and, indeed, were it true that all things proceeded according to one invariable rule of government in His administrations, in grace, in providence, and also in the natural world, without His interposing any particular acts of His divine authority and power, God's government of the world would be less attended to and believed in. His cognizance of human affairs be questioned by many, and such a settled sameness in the course of things be construed into a blind fatality. Nor is it easily to be conceived by us, how one unchangeable mode of proceedings could be adapted to the present condition of mankind, as free agents, under their continual fluctuations and deviations from the rule of obedience, their backslidings, rebellions, and apostacy ; and accordingly we read how the Lord varied His particular dealings with the Israelites, according to their states and circumstances respectively, for direction, for warning, for correction, (fee, by visions, by voices, by signs and wonders, and by the mission of angels, to reclaim and convert them ! and this is so far from arguing any variableness in God, that it evidences His unchangeableness in mercy and goodness, by accommodating His dealings and dispensations to the needs and requirements of His poor frail creatures : agreeably to that declaration, " I am the Lord, I change not, therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed."*

How thins^s went with the Antediluvians in reg^ard to divine manifestations, the sacred records give us but little intelligence ; but thus much we may collect from them, that in the line of Seth, as contradistinguished from that of Cain, there was a church of devout worshippers then on earth, in which Enoch was highly favored of God, and a man of renown, whose prophetic writings continued in the church down to the times of the apostles, as appears from the Epistle of Jude.f In

T Mr. Hartley here speaks according to the ideas commonly entertained from tli« literal sense of the Word; but according to Emanuel Swedenborg, by Enoch is not to be understood any individual so named, but a branch or society of the most ancient ehurch, by whom the knowledges wlich were seen perceptively by the most aucieut

11 PEEFACE

this line of Seth (from what is mentioned of Enoch and Noahj we may conclude, that the church of God, before the general apostacy brought on the flood, was instructed and conducted by particular revelation from heaven ; and that an intercourse between angels and the holy men of those early days (called the sons of God), was no unfrequent thing.

On the call of Abraham, heaven was again opened to man in the way of divine communications externally, and he was taught of God the things that be of God, by the ministry of angels ; so that what wd now call extraordinary dispensations, were then the ordinary way of conveying divine knowledge :* and from these more immediate discoveries of Himself to the patriarchs, we apprehend it was, that God styled Himself the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.

Nor was the delivery of the law, as a stated directory to the Israelites for duty and worship, intended to supersede particular revelations from heaven, or communications with angels ; nay, the promise of an angel to " go before them in the way," was immediately annexed to it :f and the prophetic dispensation under the law, appears as a supplement of superior excellency to the law itself, by expounding and illustrating the typical parts of it in reference to that ministration of righteousness by Jesus Christ, which should far exceed it in glory. Thus the law and the prophets made together, as it were, but one dispensation, and all serious Jews looked upon divine manifestations, by prophecy and vision, as such standing tokens of God's favor towards them, that any occasional cessation of them was considered as a mark of the divine displeasure. Thus the Psalmist: ** We see not our tokens, there is not one prophet more, "J and hence it was that the Seers, or true Visionaries, were held in such honor by the godly of that church. Thus, " T]ie word of the Lord was precious in those days ; there was no open vision. "§ "Her prophets find no vision from the Lord."|| And it is observable, that from the time of Malachi to a little before the advent of Christ, during which period prophecy and vision ceased in the Jewish church (at least in persons of a public character), was the most horrid degeneracy of that people from all things sacred and moral ; intestine divisions, bribery, and libertinism, diffused their poison through church and state ; the very temple was often polluted with the blood of hostile factions : and the high priesthood was bought and sold, nay, the nomination to it submitted to heathen princes, who conferred the same on the highest bidder : thus fulfiUing the truth of Solomon's words,®[[ " Where there is no vision the people perish ;" meaning thereby, that where there is a cessation of all

people, were reduced into a doctrinal form : and by its being said that " he was not for God took him," is signified that the doctrinals thus arranged, not being agreeable to the genius of the most ancient church, the members of which, teing able to see divine tilings by intuitive perception, had no need of being instructed by the posterior way of loctrine, were withdrawn for the present, and reserved by Divine Providence for the use of posterity (See Arc. Cod. n. 521). The book ascribed to Enoch, and containing the passage quoted from it by Jude, has, since the above Preface was written, been brought to light, and an English translation of it, by Abp,_ Lawrence, has been prhited. It is a supposititious production, of an age fixr posterior the age of those called Enoch. — N.

* See Bromley on Extraordinary Dispensations., at the end of his Way to fhe Sabbaik x}f Rest. A booK which I much recommend to the reader, —ff.

+ Exod. iii. 20. % Psalm Ixxiv. 10. § 1 Sam. iii. 4.

\ Isaiah iii. 1. ^ Prov. xxix. 18.

BY THE EEV. T. HAETLET. Ul

divine communications, the sense of religion decays, and all things tend to ruin.

When the time was fully come, as foretold by the prophets, for the Sun of Rio-hteousness to arise with healins^ in His wino-s : for God to manifest Himself in the flesh to destroy the works of the devil, and to supply what was lacking in all preceding dispensations : then the heavens were again opened, and celestial communications renewed with men ; an angel foretold the birth of Him who should be the harbmger to this Prince of Peace : the same heavenly messenger was sent to the highly favored virgin, with a salutation, on her miraculous conception of Him ; and a host of angels proclaimed the joyful news of His gracious advent; angels ministered unto Him during His abode on earth, and announced His resurrection from the dead. But when all was finished relating to our adorable Redeemer's ministry, sufferings, and life in the flesh, and the dispensation of the Holy Ghost took place according to His promise, were all extraordinary dispensations tlien to cease ? By no means ; for this very pubhc solemnity on the day of Pentecost, was attended with a gracious promise of their continuance in the church to future generations ; as declared to all present by Peter, who, on quoting the prophecy of Joel,* concerning the same vouchsafements, applies them to the times of the gospel dispensations : " For the promise is to you and to your children, and to them that are afar off."f And they certainly continued with the apostles, as more particularly appears from the visions of angels to Peter, Paul, Philip, and John the dinne ; plainly evincing, that they were not superseded by the giving of the Holy Ghost.

Such as are no friends to the belief of extraordinary gifts and communications, have labored all they could to confine them to the times of the apostles ; but in so contradicting the current testimony of the church -history, they show much prejudice and little modesty. The apostolical fathers, Barnabas, Clement, and Hermas (whose writings were reverenced as of canonical authority for four hundred years, and were read, together with the canonical Scriptures, in many of the churches), confirm the truth of prophecy, divine visions, and miraculous gifts, continuing in the church after the apostolical age, both by their testimony and experience : and to pass over many other venerable names (among whom Tertullian and Origen are witnesses to the same truth afterwards), Eusebius, Cyprian, and Lactantius, still lower down, declare that extraordinary divine manifestations were not uncommon in their days. Cyprian is very express on this subject, praising God on that behalf, with respect to himself, to divers of the clergy, and many of the people, using these words : " The discipline of God over us never ceases by night and by day to correct and reprove ; for not only by visions of the night, but also by day, even the innocent age of children among us is filled with the Holy Spirit, and they see, and hear, and speak in ecstasy, such things as the Lord vouchsafes to admonish and instruct us by :"J; and it was the settled belief of the early fathers of the church, that these divine communications, for direction, edification, and comfort, would never wholly cease therein.

That extraordinary gifts became more rare in the church about the

* Joel iii. 28, 29. t Acts ii. 8a J Epiet. 16,

IV PREFACE.

middle of the third century, is allowed by Cyprian himself, and such other writers, both contemporary and subsequent, as at the same time testified to the reality of them ; and they account for it from the encouragement given to the pernicious doctrines of Epicurus, and other materialists, at that time, which disposed many to turn every thing supernatural and spiritual into mockery and contempt. In the next century, when the profession of Christianity became established by Constantine as the religion of the empire, and millions adopted it from its being the religion of the court, the fashion of the times, or the roao. to temporal emoluments, then Christianity appeared indeed more gorgeous in her apparel, but became less glorious within ; was more splendid in form, but less vigorous in power ; and so what the church gained in surface she lost in depth. She suffered her faith to be corrupted by the impure mixtures of the heathenish philosophy ; whilst the honors, riches, and pleasures of the world, insinuated themselves into her affections, stole away her graces, and so robbed her of her best treasure ; insomuch, that many have made it a doubt whether, in the times here spoken of. Paganism was more christianized, or Christianity more paganized.

This beino; the condition of thino-s, it is no wonder that we hear so little of divine visions and extraordinary spiritual gifts in those days : for however external men are apt to glory in the pompous appearance of a visible church, yet the true spiritual church may be considered at that time, and indeed ever since, as in her wilderness state, withdrawn from the multitude to keep herself unspotted from the world, and to preserve a holy intercourse with her beloved, in a life and conversation becoming the gospel of Christ : nor were her heavenly vouchsafements less than before, but only less proper to be divulged, as less likely to be received, or to be received only with derision, as were the dreams of Joseph by his brethren. We always mean to except, under this distinction, many excellent persons, mixed with carnal professors in common life, yet walking in all good conscience, fearing God, and working righteousness. Nor is any thing here said with a design to suggest, as though the establishment of Christianity in the Roman empire were without its great beneficial effects; for it was a means appointed by Providence for spreading the knowledge of the truth over a great part of the known world, whereby great numbers, under very defective and corrupt administrations of it, were converted from the error of their ways, and, by passing through the outward forms and ordinances to the inward power, became burning and shining lights in the church. Besides, divine truth is of a diffusive nature, like the precious ointment upon the head of Aaron, that fell down to the skirts of his garments. Thus the Christian religion, in the weakest administrations of it, was not without good influence on the nations that received it, by civilizing their manners, improving their systems of morality, repressing their enormous vices, and regulating their polity by more wholesome laws and institutes.

To trace the Christian religion in the various revolutions of its progress, from its first civil establishment down to the present times, would be the province of the historian ; we shall therefore pass over all the intervening periods of it, to consider the subject before us, in the way both of

HT THE REV. T. HAETLEY. V

sci-iptural and rational inquiries in relation to ourselves. And here it must be owned, that the behef of all extraordinary or supernatural disp'^'nsations, is at a very low ebb with us, and that from several assignable causes, two or three of which shall here be noticed.

And first, from an undue exaltation of man's natural rational faculties and powers, as the sufficient test of revealed truths ; and this gross error has prevailed more among men of human learning for this century past, than perhaps ever before ; to which it is owing, that almost every thing in religion has been run into question and controversy, and that a general 'disbelief of all things supernatural has, in a great measure, banished faith, and introduced Sadducism amongst us, to the denying of all spiritual visions and apparitions of angels as things incredible.

Secondly, This doubting and unbelief in things of a spiritual nature, has spread to a greater extent among all classes, from an excessive attachment to worldly interest, and the love of money in the trading nations of Christendom, through the vast increase of commerce and navigation in the two last centuries ; whereby the affections and pursuits of such great numbers have been so engaged on the side of filthy lucre, as to turn an employment, in itself innocent and useful, into the occasion of sin. Hence a sordid avarice, and making haste to he rich, by frauds, extortion, and injustice, which lay an invincible obstacle in the way of faith ; since we are told, that every one that would name the name of Christ, as his Saviour, must first depart from iniquity.

Another great hindrance to the belief of all communications with the world of spirits, is, a life of pleasure, which the apostle calls a state of death,* as it chains down the mind to the objects of the senses, and things of outward observation, and totally indisposes it for the consideration of things inward and spiritual : and this is not only the case of the voluptuous and libertine part of mankind, but of those also, who, from an indulged levity and dissipation of mind, abandon theTiiselves to vain pastimes and amusements, are carried away with every wind of fashion and folly, or, like the Athenians, spend their time in nothing else, but either to tell or to hear some new thing. Should an apostle i-eveal any thing concerning heaven or hell to persons thus indisposed to receive his report, is it not to be expected that they would reply in derision, like the philosophers or Athenians before mentioned, at the preaching of Paul, **What will this babbler say?" Nor can it be expected that the contents of the following volume should meet with a more favorable reception from such. All things relating to the other world, and the condition of departed souls, are of a most interesting nature, and call for great seriousness and awful attention ; and they that bring not with them minds so prepared for the consideration of these subjects, however they may boast of their reason, are not as yet qualified for judges in these matters. And this leads to an observation or two on the subject of reason.

There is nothing more talked of and pretended to, than reason, and yet nothing which people of every rank and age are less agreed in ; that which generally passes for reason, being of a vague, uncertain nature, varying according to the tempers, inchnations, and circumstances of men.

VI PEEFACE

Thus it happens, that the reason of one at thirty years of age is seldom the reason of the same person at fifty ; the reason of the majority is not the reason of the minority ; nay, in every profession, art, and science, men reason differently, and often oppositely, except where reason has least place, as in mathematics, geometry, and arithmetic. And yet there is a right reason in all things, where men are qualified to find it out ; but these are few, and we see by far the greater part perpetually wrangling, disputing, and contradicting one another in relation to right and wrong in most things ; and the main cause of it is the want of simplicity, and a right disposition of the will and affections, which are absolutely necessary, in order to a right judgment: but whilst men dignify their passions, humors, and false interests, with the venerable name of reason, it remains in them no other than the operation of their present state of mind on the errors, prejudices, and wrong principles they have before imbibed, and which they are resolved to maintain with the most words, and such arguments as they are masters of ; and hence it is that we have so many critics, politicians, and divines, who are utter strangers to the truth of the matters they take in hand.

But reason has also its specific differences and measures, according to the nature of the subject to be investigated : thus ethics, physics, and metaphysics, have each their respective principles, and consequently a distinct kind of reason ; and he that is a good proficient in the knowledge of one, may be very deficient in another. Thus every part of knowledge has its standard, adequate and proper to itself: so natural things are known by natural reason, and spiritual things are discerned by a spiritual light : and this distinction is founded on the authority of Scripture, in which we are told, that '* the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foohshness unto him ; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned ;"* that is, the animal or sensual man, with all his natural faculties and endowments, cannot of himself attain to the knowledge of spiritual things, they being too far above his reach ; and therefore it must be given him from above, or he cannot have it : nay, so contrary are they to the propensities and apprehensions of his sensual fallen nature, that whilst he presumes on a fancied sufficiency in himself to comprehend these things, the deeper he plunges himself into the darkness of human ignorance concerning them, and the more accounts them foolishness : and thus God is said to make foolish the wisdom of this world, by leaving such to their wilful blindness, wlio choose darkness rather than light.

Nothing is here said to depreciate external rational knowledge, even in its lowest sphere, when joined with the fear of God in men of humble minds : for this also is the gift of God, and is not only helpful to us in all the purposes of this life, but, in due place and subordination, subservient to the divine life : it is the abuse of this knowledge only that falls under our 3>ensure ; as when natural knowledge and human learning are employed to unsettle men's minds with respect to the things of the other world, and to rob them of the precious hopes of a glorious immortality through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. All such kind of sophistry, mistaken for reason, is no better than vain deceit, and science falsely so called; and all that exercise themselves therein are. disturbers of tha

BY THE KEY. T. HAETLET. VU

peace of mankind, as well as enemies to the church of God. Nor can we here forbear to pass a reproof on all those, who, whilst they profess a reverence for the Gospel revelation, patronize, at the same time, the infidehtv of the Sadducees, as touching angels and spirits, and all extraordinary dispensations : for to deny all commmiications with the spiritual world, whether by visions, or any other means, naturally leads to Atheism ; and their pernicious reasonings in this way have had dreadful effects upon the present times, by weakening the sense of religion and conscience in the lower classes of the people. The belief of an intercourse w^ith the other world, according to the truth of it, keeps alive and cherishes faith in the immortality of the soul, in all ranks of people, and familiarizes the mind to its existence separate from the body : and it is not to be doubted, that such gracious vouchsafements were granted to the Jews under the law, and have been continued since to the church under the Gospel, in aid and assistance to men's faith in the written traditions of both dispensations ; such being the goodness of the Lord in compassion to the weakness of our nature, and the dulne'ss of our minds, which stand, so much in need of fresh awakenino- incitements to call off our attention from earthly to heavenly things. And therefore we cannot but lament, tliat any men of name in the church (though little deserving of it on this account), have gone so far beyond this line, as to assert, that all extraordinary gifts and supernatural dispensations have totally ceased since the third century : but we have no authority for this but their own, and therefore do upon much better grounds assert, that extraordinary gifts and vouchsafements never did nor will cease in the church, till that wliich is perfect shall come ; that is, till such extraordinary become ordinary dispensations, and. angels shall converse with men as familiarly as they did with Adam before the fall ; and, in the mean time, we confidently rely upon the divine promise, that the same Lord, who " gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ," will fulfil the same promif;e, *' till we all come in the unity of the faith, and the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ."*

But it may be said here, that seers of visions are not mentioned along with prophets, &c., in the foregoing quotation from the apostle : and therefore as the first are principally referred to in this preface, it will be here apposite to observe, that the name of prophet in Scripture, is not confined to the gift of prediction or foretelling things to come, but signifies one to whom any divine manifestation was made for the use of others ; and as this was generally by vision, so we read that prophets in ancient times were usually called seers, that is, see-ers of visions. Thus, in 1 Sam. ix. 9, " Before time in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, thus he spake, Come, and let us go to the seer ; for he that is now called a prophet was before time called a seer ;" and afterwards, in the same chapter, Samuel calls himself a seer: and in 2 Sam. xxiv. 11, we read, " that the word of the Lord came unto the prophet Gad, David's seer ;" of such honorable repute was the name of seer in those times. When therefore the apostle gives it in charge to the church, not to despise

Vlll PREFACE

prophesyings, we have no warrant to exclude visions from the general chaiige, especially as we are well informed from ecclesiastical history, that the custom of communicating to the church the visions of holy persons, particularly such as were of authority in the ministry, continued down at least to the days of Cyprian, the good bishop of Carthage, who speaks of manifestations by visions throughout his epistles, and also of his own ; for he had many visions, and, among others, one concerning his own martyrdom, and the particular manner of it, which happened accordingly.

St. Paul,* speaking of the superior excellence and blessedness of the New Covenant, says, *' But ye are come to mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels," &c. By which words we cannot suppose him to mean less, than that by Christ, the mediator of this better covenant, a more free intercourse with heaven, and a more intimate fellowship with saints and angels, is now opened for us, if we debar not ourselves of this blessed privilege. What then hinders our conversing with angels now, as the patriarchs and prophets did of old ? What but our own fault and unfitness for such glorious company ? Why do we not now see them de • scending and ascending between heaven and earth, as Jacob did on the typical ladder? Why, but for our own unbelief, our dulness, our earthly-mindedness ; from which deep sleep, as to the things of God, if we are truly awakened, we should see cause to own, in the words of the same patriarch, when he awaked from the vision of the night, *' surely the Lord is in this place, and I knew it not."f Heaven is as near to the heavenly soul, as the soul is to the body ; for we are not separated from it by distance of place, but only by condition of state ; thus when Elisha was surrounded in Dothan by Syrians, his servant saw not the chariots^ and horsemen [the angelical host] that surrounded his master for df fence, as Elisha did, till the Lord opened his eyes. Just so it is with u' ■ unbelief and sin keep us from seeing the things that are about us ana near to us, and also from giving credit to the reports of those who are in the experience of them.

The same apostle who cautions against despising prophesyings, does also give us to understand, that angels were not to discontinue their visits to men in future times of the church ; as, when exhorting us not to "be forgetful to entertain strangers," he adds, "for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. "J Now there would be no encouragement nor argument in the latter part of the verse, unless the same might happen to be the case with us also. But wherefore should we doubt that those blessed friendly beings should take delight in exercising their good- will to men by many kind offices, both visible and invisible, according to the good pleasure of our common Lord : as by preserving us in many dangers, protecting us against the assaults of evil men and evil spirits, and by counselling, warning, and helping us, by various ways and means we know not of ? We ought not so to doubt of this, as we are apt to do, nor wonder at it : " For are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister to them who shall be heirs of salvation. "§ But wliether manifested to us or not, sure it is, that we are more indebted to them for their kind assistance and ministrations than is generally believed;

* Heb. xiu 82. t Gen. xxviii. 16. % Heb. xiii. 2. § Heb. 1. 14.

BY TEEE REV. T. HARTLEY. IX

as evidently appears to have been the sense of the Church of Eng and, heretofore at least, as thus expressed in her collect for St. Michael and all angels: " everlasting God, who hast ordained and constituted the service of angels and men in a wonderful order, mercifully grant, tliat as thy holy angels always do thee service in heaven, so by thy appointment thev may succor and defend us on earth."

As to the argument offered by those, who maintain the total cessation of these and other extraordinary dispensations, on the establishment of the Christian religion, or its protection by the civil powers ; viz., that the ordinary gifts of the Spirit, together with its settled ecclesiastical economy, are sufficient for salvation, and the welfare of the church, and therefore what is more is needless, and not to be expected : — be it answered, first, that the opposers of exti-aordinary dispensations do here take for granted the very point in question, viz. that they are ceased, which it is impossible for them to prove ; nay, we appeal for the reality of them to the authority of universal ecclesiastical history, as also to the records of every particular church and nation in Christendom, not to insist on the testimony given thereto in numberless books, tracts, and narratives, some or other of which have fallen in the way of every person of any reading and conversation. What credit is to be given to or withheld from them respectively, is another matter of inquiry ; but that all should be invention and forgery, requires a higher degree of credulity than is sufficient for believing the greater part of them ; and as to the reproachful epithets of monkish and legendary, so liberally bestowed on well-attested narratives of this kind, by such as resolve to believe nothing but what they can see with their eyes or touch with their hands, they are not to be regarded, where the grounds of credulity and evidence are the points in question. Many of the Roman Catholic writers stand confessedly chargeable with an over credulity ; and it is to be wished, that many of the Protestant writers were less censurable than they are for incredulity ; and the medium between both these extremes will be found the proper ground from whence to take the clearest view of these matters. Sure it is, that we are at this time very dangerously infected with doubting and unbelief, as to the things supernatural ; and that the general idea of Reformation, amongst us, means rather a departure from certain Popish errors and superstitions, than any advances in true faith and godliness.